Ten Hours 'Til Dawn
by completewithtypos
Summary: It's dawn! And done! Please review!
1. Chapter 1

Ten Hours 'Til Dawn

Disclaimer: I don't own the Princess Diaries, I just want to play with them. I apologize in advance for any stupidity. Exhaustion and my overactive imagination make strange bedfellows. On that rather bizarre note, enjoy! And PLEASE review.

Hour One

She was sitting in the gazebo, Maurice lying at her feet, as the sun began to dip below the horizon. His breath caught in his chest as his heart skipped a beat at the sight of her silhouetted against the fiery orange sunset. She was, without a doubt, the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. Laughing to himself about what a sentimental old fool he was, he stepped lightly up the steps of the stone structure. She turned sharply, but soon smiled once she realized who it was. Maurice barely looked twice at him.

"And how are you this evening, my dear?" he asked, sitting beside her.

"Oh, it's a lovely evening, but better still now that you're here." She replied, resting her head against his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her and was about to respond when his name being yelled through the gardens ruined their moment. Charlotte and Shades were running in their direction. Clarisse quickly sat up and seconds later, they'd been spotted.

"Joe, you turned your earpiece off, we couldn't find you!" Charlotte gasped, out of breath.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Joe stood, all business now.

"We received this about ten minutes ago. No prints, we checked." Shades handed him a typewritten note. Clarisse stood and moved to stand behind him, reading over his shoulder.

_Ten hours 'til dawn explodes into being_

_And unless you're smarter than you look,_

_"Your girl" is going to die. I'd kill to_

_see the fear in your eyes, now._

He heard Clarisse gasp behind him and turned to look at her. Her face was pale. "Joseph, what does this mean? Who could do such a thing to Mia?"

Not caring that Shades and Charlotte were standing right there he pulled her back into his arms, hugging her close. The other two smiled at each other, they had suspected there was more to that relationship.

'My darling, they're talking about you. And I know exactly who is behind this. Come with me, we must return to your suite immediately." He kissed her forehead as she nodded, numbly. "You won't speak of this to anyone." He gently commanded Charlotte and Shades, knowing full well that they wouldn't share what they'd just seen.

"What shall we do?" Shades asked as he and Charlotte nodded in agreement.

"Send out as many men as possible to find the Viscount Mabrey and bring him in. In the meantime, search the palace for anything that might be a bomb. He said 'dawn will explode' we don't have much time." Shades hurried off to give out the orders to the rest of the security force. "Charlotte, will you bring us some tea, please?" Joseph asked her.

"Of course," she replied and headed off in the direction of the palace.

"As for you, my dear," he continued, turning to Clarisse, "Come. We must get you inside."

"Viscount Mabrey?" she questioned as he took her arm and gently led her along the garden paths. "I don't understand."

"And I will explain, all in good time, Clarisse. Trust me, my darling."

She nodded, kissing him lightly before they were in sight of anyone inside again. "I do. More than anyone."

On the way through the halls of the palace, they ran into Mia. The twenty one year old princess looked more than a little confused. "Why is everyone running around the palace? Lionel wouldn't tell me anything and I can't find Charlotte."

Joseph smoothly turned her around and told her as they kept walking, "Mia, you and your grandmother must stay in her suite for the rest of the night. I'll explain it all once we get there. I suspect you both will have a lot of questions."

Entering her suite Joseph told Olivia to wait outside. When she was gone, he locked the door behind her, and sat an even more confused Mia down in a chair, and himself and Clarisse on the sofa. Taking the bomb threat from his pocket, he handed it to Mia who read it, her eyes growing wider with each line.

"Whoa, this is serious, isn't it." She said a bit shakily.

"Yes." Joseph replied.

"But Joseph, how do you know it's Mabrey, and that he's referring to me?" Clarisse asked.

"Wait, you know who it's from already? How long have you had it?" Mia jumped in before he could respond.

"We've had it about twenty minutes. Now I know it was Mabrey because when Mia reviewed the guards last week, he was behind the horse-spooking incident. I confronted him in the barn. After telling him what my job entails, he made a rude comment about my 'catering to the crown's emotions.' Your emotions, my dear." He said, taking Clarisse's hand. "I threatened him with my diplomatic immunity if he ever hurt 'my girl.' That is why, from the wording used in the threat, I know it was meant for you." He finished his tale and got up to answer the knock on the door, letting Charlotte in with the tea. "Thank you, Charlotte. Will you sit with them, please? I'll leave a guard outside the door, of course."

"Joseph!" Clarisse said, her voice giving away her distress as she followed him to the door. Reading her mind, he held her shoulders in a gentle grip.

"Clarisse, I must go help them search." He told her softly.

"Couldn't you stay here and guard us?" she asked, her eyes beginning to fill with tears. He was knowingly putting himself in danger and she couldn't bear it.

"Shh…darling." He pulled her into a tight embrace. "I can't, you know that. It is my job to lead these men, and I must do it. I promise I'll come back to check on you as often as I can. Charlotte has her earpiece, she can fill you in on what's happening. Now I must go." He said, but she clung to him a moment longer.

"Please, be careful." She said almost inaudibly.

"I will. I promise." He said, kissing her tenderly, then vanishing through the door. Clarisse managed to control her tears and then turned from the door.

"Grandmother, I am disappointed in you." Mia said from where she now sat on the couch. Clarisse looked worried for a moment before Mia continued with a wide smile, "Why didn't you tell me about you and Joe!"

"Oh, Amelia, I couldn't. No one was supposed to know, and I honestly wasn't sure how you would take it." She said, wearily sitting beside her granddaughter.

"Grandma, it's amazing! I always knew the two of you were made for each other. Don't worry about it, I love you both so much, and I'm so happy for you I could almost forget that that stupid snake is threatening you." She hugged her grandmother, then turned serious. "And don't worry about Joe either. Well, no, worry about him, but not so you make yourself sick about it. He'll always come home to you, I just know it!"

Clarisse smiled through fresh tears, and reached out to cup the girl's face in her palm. "Oh, my Mia. Thank you so much. What would I do without you?"

"I really have no idea." Mia said grinning and making them all laugh. Suddenly, she had an idea. "Charlotte, will you go find Nicholas? And quickly?"

"But Princess, Joe told me to stay here with you." The aide looked torn. She sensed what Mia was thinking.

"I know," Mia replied, "But Nicholas might know where his Uncle is. Please go get him, we have to convince him to help us."

"All right. I'll get him. But if Joe comes after me…"

"You can absolutely put all the blame on me." Mia said grinning. "You're the best, Charlotte."

Charlotte smiled, and left the room. Knowing she could do nothing else, Mia turned to her grandmother, an expectant look on her face. "Well?"

"Well, what?" Clarisse asked, confused.

"Are you going to willingly tell me everything, or do I have to torture it out of you with loud rock music?"

"Amelia, what are you talking about?" Clarisse asked, her eyes growing wide at the thought of being tortured by her granddaughter.

Mia gave an exasperated sigh. "You and Joe, of course! Honestly, where have you been!"

"Oh…" Clarisse gave in and was about to launch into a full explanation, when there was an urgent knocking at the door. It was Andrew, and Mia let him in.

"Mia, I just heard, are you all right?" he asked, slightly out of breath.

"Andrew, I'm fine. The threat is against Grandma. Now, Joe wants everyone to stay in their rooms until they find anything, okay?" she said, ushering him out the door. "Thanks for stopping in to check on us, though."

Reluctantly the boy went back to his own room. Immediately after, Charlotte returned with Nicholas.

"I'm assuming Charlotte, filled you in?" Mia asked, once he was sitting down.

"She just said that there was a bomb threat." Nicholas replied, startled by the fact that he found himself very worried about the girl in front of him.

"Yes, a bomb threat. Specifically targeting Grandma, and your Uncle is behind it." She told him, giving him the short version.

"Are you sure?" Nicholas asked, his jaw dropping in surprise.

"Yes, and never mind how, but we are. Please, Nicholas, we have to find him…"

She was serious, and he forgot whatever loyalty to his uncle that he had. "I'll do whatever I can to help." He interrupted her quickly.

On impulse, Mia hugged him. "Thank you. It means a lot."

Charlotte was talking into her little communication device, and then turned to Nicholas. "Come with me, Sir. I'll take you to Joe."

"Never mind that, I'm here." Joseph said, entering the room with Lionel in tow. "That door should be kept locked. Anyone could just walk right in."

"Sorry, my fault." Mia jumped in before Charlotte could say anything. The aide smiled at her gratefully behind Joe's back. His wrath was not something you wanted directed at you.

"Amelia, you should know better," he said severely. "I will expect it locked the next time I return."

"It will be." Clarisse said, standing and moving towards him, just wanting to be near him for a moment before he left again.

"Very good. Nicholas, I've been informed that you would like to help us."

"Anything I can do, Sir." Nicolas replied.

"We appreciate it, Nicholas. Come with us, we'll bring you up to date in the security room." He said and turned to follow Lionel and Nicholas out the door.

"Joseph," Clarisse said, and he turned to face her again. "Joseph, what have you learned?"

"Nothing useful, I'm afraid my dear. He isn't at his house, and Lionel and another of the men are going through all the members of Parliament, asking if they've seen him. I'll let you know if I learn anything else at all. I promise."

"Thank you, Joseph." She reached out to touch his face in a tender but chaste gesture. Glancing around quickly to make sure no one was watching them, and seeing that only Mia was, he turned his head to kiss her palm before leaving with Lionel and Nicholas. Clarisse sank back onto the sofa while Charlotte locked the door behind them. She turned to Mia who was wearing a huge smile.

"What?" Clarisse asked.

"You two are soooo CUTE!"

_A/N: This was something I thought up at about midnight awhile ago, and I just went on a writing rampage this morning. Lots of cliffies in this one, not because I don't know where to go, but simply because I'm evil. Mwahahaha. And I have to keep you interested _somehow_ don't I? reviews are most welcome. 3, Lizz_


	2. Hour Two The Hunt for the Viscount

Hour Two

"You've tried his house, you've tried parliament, have you tried the summer lodge?" Nicholas asked, but Joe was lost in thought, watching the monitor that showed Mia and Clarisse in her sitting room. They were smiling about something. Nicholas stopped to watch for a moment, then remembered that they had only nine hours to figure out where the bomb was.

"Joe?" he tried again.

"Yes? I'm sorry, I was distracted for a moment." Joseph replied.

"I know. It's all right. I said did you try looking in the summer lodge?" Nicholas repeated.

"No, we didn't. Will you take us there? I didn't know he had a summer lodge." Joseph said, moving towards the door.

"He just bought it a month or two ago. I've only been there once. Let's go." Nicholas said.

"Charlotte, we're going to his summer house. We'll be back soon." Joseph said into his mouthpiece then motioned for Nicholas to lead the way. He smiled, and did so.

"The Viscount has a summer house?" Mia asked Clarisse when Charlotte relayed the message to them.

"Apparently so, Dear." The older woman replied then added to herself in an almost whisper, "I do hope he's careful."

Mia leaned over and hugged her grandmother. "He'll be fine, Grandma. He's Joe, he's amazing. Now tell me, he's been here for nearly forty years. Was it love at first sight?"

"No, not really. I actually didn't really like him. Until he saved my life, and I got to know him better."

"He saved your life? I mean, I know that's his job, but he actually had to do it?" Mia cried.

"Yes, Mia. It was shortly after your father was born. Rupert was addressing the nation on Christmas Eve and I was standing beside him. Joseph was behind us, watching the crowd as always. Somehow he sensed something was going to happen, and a split second before this madman in the first row pulled a gun and shot at me, Joseph tackled me and shielded me with himself. Rupert was hit in the shoulder and spent Christmas in the hospital recovering. Joseph came to see me that night, to make sure that I was all right, and we stayed up talking until early the next morning. We became fast friends, that night, and remained friends." Clarisse stopped to take a sip of her tea.

"When did you realize you loved him?" Mia asked, anxious to get to the good part of the story.

"I think perhaps it started one night, when the members of Parliament had gotten Rupert drunk at a party and he was rather cruel to me. It was the only time he ever hit me. Of course, he was immensely sorry for it the next day when he could think straight again, but the night before he probably would have hit me more than once if Joseph hadn't stepped in and taken me away. He brought me up to my suite and cleaned up my face, then sat with me for most of the night, until he was sure that Rupert was passed out in his room, and couldn't hurt me anymore."

"It started then, when did you fully realize it?" Mia asked, and Charlotte leaned forward a little, fascinated by this story.

"It was after your father died, and Joseph sat up with me every night for nearly two weeks. He let me cry, and tell him stories of Philippe when he was younger, and just be miserable. Sometimes I would drift off to sleep and nightmares would wake me up. He was always nearby, ready to hold me and tell me it was all right until I went back to sleep. By the end of the second week, I was able to sleep through the whole night in his arms."

"Awww, that's so sweet." Mia said and Charlotte nodded in agreement.

"What's sweet?" they looked up, startled by his voice. They had been so engrossed in the story that they hadn't heard the key turn in the lock and Joseph enter the room.

"You are, Joe!" Mia cried, before Clarisse could respond.

"They know, darling. I've been telling stories." Clarisse said getting up to stand beside him. "Please tell me that you came here to say you caught him."

He wound an arm around her waist as he replied, "No, I haven't. He wasn't there, but he had been there. Nicholas said some clothes were missing, which confirms to me that he's behind this and was planning on disappearing for awhile."

"Where's Nicholas, Joe?" Mia asked him.

"He's down in the security room trying to think of other places his Uncle could hide. Which is where I am headed." Joeseph replied, reluctantly loosing his grip on Clarisse.

"Can't you stay with us for awhile?" she asked.

"Darling, we only have eight hours. It's just starting to sink in and I'm becoming frantic. But I swear, I will keep you safe. All of you." He added, looking to Mia and Charlotte.

"Don't neglect to keep yourself safe, Joe." Mia said getting up to hug him. "hey, watch out for Nicholas too, okay?"

"Of course, my Mia." He said returning her hug. He then turned to embrace Clarisse and kiss her before leaving to join the rest of the security team, locking the door behind him.

_A/N: Sorry, it's so short, but I figure most of this hour was spent driving and that's not very exciting. Stories are much more fun. Next chapter should be longer, I have more planned for it. Thank you so much, for all the marvelous reviews! Lizz_


	3. Hour Three

Hour Three

"Grandma, I can't just sit here for the next seven hours! Can't we look for the bomb ourselves?" Mia asked, pacing around the suite.

"Of course we can't. Joseph told us to stay here where he knows we're safe." Clarisse replied.

"But the bomb isn't going to off until dawn! And Charlotte has her radio thingy, we'll be fine. What if we find something! He'll be so proud, please Grandma?" she begged. Clarisse was silent. She really did want to help her granddaughter search, but she knew Joseph would be furious when he found out. And he would find out.

"Pleeeeeeeeeeeeease?" Mia begged childishly, kneeling at her grandmother's feet.

"Oh, all right! But you are going to be in so much trouble with Joseph." Clarisse relented.

"I don't care. Come on, Charlotte!" Mia sprang to her feet, pulling Clarisse with her. Charlotte rose also, secretly grateful to be actively helping.

'Where should we start?" Mia asked as they left the suite.

"The kitchen?" Clarisse suggested. "I could do with a cup of tea."

'Good idea, Grandma. I could go for an ice cream cone. What do you eat when you're nervous or upset, Charlotte?" Mia added.

"Marshmallows." Charlotte said shyly.

"The kitchen it is, then." Mia said, linking her arm with her grandmother, and reaching out an arm to Charlotte who walked two steps behind. "Catch up, Charlotte, you're more of a friend than an employee. Besides, we need a united front in case we meet Joe."

They managed to make it to the kitchen without seeing anyone from the security team. As the kitchen was deserted, Charlotte made the tea after locating a bag of marshmallows while Mia piled ice cream into a bowl and Clarisse poked around, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Her hand came to rest on the automatic can opener and she jumped back with a gasp when it began to turn. Mia and Charlotte giggled.

"It's just a can opener, Grandma."

"It startled me, that's all." Clarisse said defensively. "Now, what exactly are we looking for?"

"Anything that ticks." Charlotte said, "Bombs always tick in the movies."

"I found something!" Mia joked, pointing to the clock on the wall. They laughed with her and Charlotte threw a marshmallow at her.

"You know what I meant!" she said.

"Yeah, I know. Wouldn't it be kinda clever though, to hide a bomb in a clock?" Mia asked.

"It would. But Mabrey is behind this remember, so that's a little too intelligent for him." Charlotte and Mia looked at Clarisse in shock. It wasn't like her to talk like that about anybody, especially members of Parliament.

"Twenty questions to pass the time?" Mia asked, breaking the silence. "Grandma, you're first. Uhm…first love?"

"First real love? Joseph." Clarisse replied.

"No, I meant like, puppy love." Seeing Clarisse's confused expression, she continued, "I mean, who was the first person you had a crush on, you do know what that is, right?"

"Yes, I do. I'm not that sheltered, Mia." Clarisse thought a moment. "Clark Gable. The only movie that my parents ever took me to see was _Gone With the Wind_ and I thought Clark Gable was the most romantic and most handsome man in the world. I do believe that Joseph has replaced him."

"Awww, Grandma." Mia sighed, happily. "Do you think I'll ever find someone like that?"

"I wonder sometimes if I will." Charlotte put in from her position in the corner where she was peering into pots on a shelf.

"you both will, I promise." Clarisse replied, opening cupboard doors. "I had to wait nearly my whole life to find him."

"not your whole life, Grandma. We'll find the bomb, you've got a good amount of years left!" Mia cried, crossing the room to her grandmother's side.

"Thank you, dear. I certainly hope so." Clarisse said, pulling Mia into a hug.

"My turn," Charlotte said, as she stood on a chair to get to the top shelf. "Mia, how _did_ you end up in that fountain with Nicholas?"

Mia grinned sheepishly. "He kissed me," Clarisse gaped at her. "Then I hit him," Mia continued and Clarisse smiled slightly. "Then he kissed me again, and we just sort of…fell." The young girl concluded. "My turn again," Mia said, trying to change the subject.

"I don't get a turn?" Clarisse asked.

"Me first, I have a good question. Grandma…is Joe a good kisser?" she asked then ducked as her grandmother swung a pot holder in her direction.

"Amelia! I…you…he…" Clarisse sputtered in shock a moment, then seemed to regain her composure and with an innocent smile replied, "Yes. Very."

Mia was just about to reply, when Charlotte lifted the lid of a pot and the shelf in front of her swung away to reveal a hole in the wall. She gave a little scream and nearly toppled off the chair. Mia rushed over and grabbed her arm keeping her from falling. Where the shelf used to be was a small doorway and a flight of steps leading down into the dark.

"nice work, Charlotte!" Mia exclaimed.

"I think it's time to call for Joseph." Clarisse said.

"No way," Mia interrupted. "It could be nothing, just some old torture chamber or something. Let's check it out, first." She said grabbing a flashlight and beginning down the stairs. Clarisse and Charlotte looked at each other, then followed.

"Mia, wait. We can't see." Charlotte said. Mia's flashlight beam illuminated the stairs for them, and soon they were at the bottom in a small room. It was far from empty though. The room contained a table loaded with bomb making equipment.

"Look at all this stuff, plastic explosives, dynamite, even a little bottle of nitroglycerin!" Mia said, shining the ray of light over the objects on the table. "there's enough stuff here to blow up the Taj Mahal!"

"Charlotte, time to call Joseph." Clarisse said, her voice no more than a whisper. Suddenly, they heard footsteps above and Mia turned off the light. They were plunged into total darkness though, when the door they came through was closed and the footsteps moved away. Next they heard two chefs enter the kitchen and start the preparations for the next morning's breakfast. Charlotte was immediately on her radio, calling for help, and Mia went to the top of the stairs, but found that there was no way to open it from this side.

It wasn't more than two minutes until they heard Joseph's voice in the kitchen, gruffly telling the chefs to leave. Charlotte spoke to him. "Joe, there's a small dusty pot on the top shelf of the rack. Lift the lid, the door will swing open. It swings in, but be careful that you don't fall and come crashing down the stairs. I almost did."

No sooner were the instructions out of her mouth, than the door swung open again and Joseph came rushing down the stairs.

"Before you yell at me, Joe, look what we found!" Mia said, pointing to the table behind her. He glanced at the table full of equipment and his eyes widened, the fear at the back of his mind, raging to the front. He silently and instinctively reached out for Clarisse. She came to stand beside him, slipping an arm around him to try and soothe him. Pulling her closer and holding her tight against him, he turned to address Mia.

"Amelia, are you crazy? Do you have any idea what kind of danger you put not just yourself, but your grandmother and Charlotte as well, in? What if whoever shut you in here had come down to kill you, not simply lock you up to warn you! That was a stupid and irresponsible thing you did, do you know that?"

"Yes, but we found this, didn't we? Now you at least know what you're dealing with! Joe, I had to do something, I couldn't sit around waiting for a bomb to go off that could kill my grandma! You've got to understand that!" Mia argued.

Joseph sighed, unconsciously tightening his grip on Clarisse. "I understand, Mia. And thank you," he addressed all three women this time. "for helping us. Just promise me you won't do it again?"

"I promise." Mia said grudgingly.

"I promise."

"Clarisse?" he looked down, but he couldn't see her face; it was buried in his shoulder. "Darling, how are you holding up?" he asked, lifting her chin to look into her eyes.

"As well as can be expected. And I promise I won't let Mia talk me into anything ever again." She said smiling at her granddaughter, trying to lighten the mood a little.

"Well, good. Now that that's settled, let's get you ladies back upstairs." He said, reluctantly releasing Clarisse and guiding them up the stairs.

"Shades" Joseph said as the younger man entered the kitchen. "Check that room for prints. That's where our bomber made the thing."

Joseph got them settled back in Clarisse's suite then turned to her and took her hands. "darling, you're not going to like this, but I have to leave again. Nicholas suggested that we try talking to Mabrey's maid, Gretchen. I must go over to his house to have a chat with her. If anyone knows where he is, she will. And Nicholas thinks that she will be willing to help us."

"I understand," Clarisse said softly, looking down for a moment, until a thought occurred to her. "Can I come with you?"

Joseph almost said yes. However, weighing the options in his mind, he decided against it. True, he didn't want to let her out of his sight again, but if they had to go chasing after the Viscount, he didn't want to have to worry about her too. "Clarisse…"

"You're going to say no." she interrupted. He opened his mouth to speak, but she placed a finger over his lips. "I understand. You don't want to worry about me too. You want me to stay here where you know I'll be safe."

He nodded. She'd read his mind, again. "Really, it's not that I don't want you to come. Just…it's better this way." He said, embracing her and kissing her lightly. "I won't be long. And I'll come see you as soon as I've returned."

Clarisse sighed. It seemed he was always leaving. She turned and sat on the couch beside Charlotte. Mia was lounging in a chair. "Twenty questions, Amelia. Favorite childhood toy?"

"A stuffed kitty. It looked a lot like Fat Louie. Uhm…Grandma. Biggest regret?"

Clarisse was silent. While she was thinking, Charlotte received a message in her ear piece. "There were no fingerprints or anything in that work room. It looks like they're no closer to finding anything."

_A/N: Sorry for the wait, I've been kinda distracted. Anyway, hope you like it, please review! And what IS Clarisse's biggest regret, I wonder? I suppose we could make that a _challenge_ if anyone wants to take a shot at it. Lizz_


	4. Hour Four

Hour Four

"Shades," Joseph said to his second in command as he and Nicholas prepared to leave for the Viscount's mansion. "Have you any more information?"

"None, Sir." The man replied, "There were no fingerprints found in the bomber's workshop, and our men can find nothing here. It looks as though we may have to evacuate and move to the Winter Palace."

"That's it!" Joseph cried, making Nicholas jump. "The Winter Palace. Perhaps he was thinking ahead for once!"

"You mean, if a threat was received here, you would naturally evacuate to the Winter Palace and that's where he put the bomb?" Nicholas asked, and Joseph nodded. "Well that makes sense. It would certainly be easier to plant a bomb there. It's empty."

"I'll send some men over right away. Sir, should we enlist the aid of the Genovian police's bomb unit?" Shades spoke up.

"Not yet. If we go for help, it will make us appear weaker than we are, and it could also leak to the media. The last thing we need around here is Elsie Kentworthy and her band of vultures." Joseph said, and turned to go. Nicholas followed close behind, still laughing to himself.

"Lionel!" Shades called out as the boy passed by in the hallway. "I need your help. We need to round up some men to go to the Winter Palace and search, and we need someone to search Queen Clarisse's suite. It just occurred to me that we haven't done that yet."

"I'll do that!" Lionel said, enthusiastically.

"All right, go ahead. I'll get the other men together." Shades said, smirking to himself about the boy's obvious crush on the Queen. Maybe that was why Joe disliked him. Deciding that such thoughts would only get him into trouble, Shades set about finding people to take to the Winter Palace.

The car was silent as Joseph and Nicholas drove towards the Viscount's house. That is, until Nicholas spoke up.

"I'm sorry, Joe." He said aloud.

Joseph took his eyes off the road a moment to glance over at the young man in the car beside him. "What for?"

"For all the worry and trouble my Uncle is causing for you. I never dreamed he could be this bad."

"It isn't your fault, Nicholas. You can't help being related to him." Joe replied, "How exactly did you end up here?"

The question was vague, but Nicholas knew exactly what he meant. Thinking about how to answer, he looked over at the man whom he'd grown to respect very much in the last few hours. "He wanted me to play Mia, to mess up her marriage to Andrew so that I could become King. I realize now that he wanted me to be his puppet, so he could have power over Genovia. I'm not going to play his game anymore."

"I'm glad. You're a good man, Nicholas. I thank you for helping us, and for not going through with your plans to take the crown."

Silence fell again, and Nicholas turned to study his companion. The dashboard lights cast his face half in shadow, making him look tired and old. The worry was clearly evident in his eyes, a worry that went well beyond his duty as head of security.

"You love her, don't you?" Nicholas asked softly, expecting Joe to avoid the question. He didn't.

"More than anything."

The three women were sitting in a worried silence when there came a knock at the door, making them jump. Joseph couldn't possibly be back already, and besides, he had a key.

"Who is it?" Mia called.

"Lionel!" he yelled back. Mia opened the door for him. "Shades said to come and search this room."

"Okay, go ahead. Mind if I help?" Mia asked. She was a little confused as to why it took them this long to search her grandmother's suite, but she figured that they had a lot to do.

"Not at all." Lionel said, "Let's start in here," he said, motioning to the bedroom.

"Okay!" Mia said, happy to be doing something. "Come on, let's help." She said, to Clarisse and Charlotte.

Joseph and Nicholas pulled up in front of the Viscount's large house. The lights were on, and the car was in the driveway, but they knew he wasn't home. Nicholas went and rang the bell. Gretchen came to open the door.

"Gretchen, is my Uncle here?" he asked.

"No he isn't." she said. Nicholas motioned to Joe to come out of the shadows.

"Can we come in and talk to you?"

Gretchen nodded and led them inside.

"We're trusting you to keep this information to yourself," Joseph said as they sat in the living room. "We've received a bomb threat at the palace that we know Mabrey is behind. Now, is there anything at all that you know that might help us?"

"Then that's what he was talking about. I over heard a phone call the other day telling someone to "plant it there." I guess he was talking about the bomb."

"Did he say where?" Joseph demanded.

"No, I'm sorry. He didn't." Gretchen said regretfully.

"When did he leave here?" Nicholas asked.

"This afternoon. He didn't leave a number or anything though. He took a fair amount of clothes, it looked like he was going to be gone for awhile. Does this help at all?" she asked.

"Yes, it does." Joe said gently. "I now have no doubt that he is behind this. Gretchen listen to me. If he contacts you at all, call the palace immediately. I will let them know, that if you happen to call, that you are to put through to me. All right?"

"Yes, Sir." Gretchen said. "I will do whatever I can to help."

"Very good. Thank you, Gretchen." Joe rose to leave.

Joseph and Nicholas arrived back at the palace fifteen minutes before the five-hour mark. Shades stopped them to report.

"The men have found nothing so far on the ground floor of the Winter Palace. The others have found nothing here, and there is no sign of the Viscount. I'm sorry, Sir." Shades said.

"It's all right, I know you're doing the best you can." Joe said tiredly, making his way to Clarisse's suite. Suddenly he stopped and turned to face Shades again. "Shades, it's time to alert the police. Have them on the lookout for Mabrey, we'll concentrate on locating the bomb. We've lost too much time already." He then turned and left, Nicholas following.

Slipping his key into the lock, Joe swung open the door and he and Nicholas stepped inside.

"Joe, you're back! Any news?" Mia cried, as they entered.

"Nothing, I'm sorry."

"Not your fault. It's just…almost midnight. That's five hours, right?" Mia asked, worriedly, coming to stand in front of them.

"Yes," Joe said, looking even more tired. Mia bit her lip, and Nicholas reached out to put a comforting hand on her shoulder. A silence fell over the room until Joe said, "Nicholas, we should get back."

"Joseph." Clarisse said, from her seat on the sofa. "Joseph, you're driving yourself to exhaustion. There's nothing more you can do right now, please, stay with us and rest for a few minutes." To everyone's surprise, he gave in without a fight.

"All right." He said, moving to sit beside her and pulling her to rest against him. Closing her eyes, she snuggled deeper into his arms. Mia and Nicholas smiled at each other. For a few minutes, everyone was happy. Then Joseph opened his eyes to look at his watch.

"Clarisse?" he asked, softly.

"Hmm?" she mumbled, not wanting to hear what he had to say. She was sure it was time for him to leave again.

"Darling," he said smoothing a hand over her hair, "I think it's time…"

"That you left again?" she interrupted.

"That we all leave." He replied.

_A/N: Nearly half way there! Thanks for all the lovely reviews! _


	5. Hour Five

Hour Five

"All leave?" Mia asked. "Like, evacuate the palace?"

"Yes, Mia. I had hoped we wouldn't have to because it complicates things so much, but you must be kept safe at all costs." Joseph replied.

"Shall I start alerting the staff?" Charlotte asked.

"Yes, Charlotte. Thank you." He said, and Charlotte got up and left the room.

"Where are we going? The Winter Palace?" Mia asked.

"No, the men aren't done searching that either. The bomb could have been placed there in hopes that that is where we would go." Joseph said, "We're going to a little place that only I know of. I'll have Olivia come in and help you get ready to leave." He continued, pulling himself from Clarisse's grip. Just as he was about to leave, Shades burst in with Charlotte on his heels.

"Sir, we've received another note!" he cried.

"Let me see." Joe demanded. Mia and Clarisse both got up and came to stand on either side of him.

_Tick tock, tick tock._

"Grandma…" Mia said, tears pooling in her eyes. Clarisse turned and held the girl tightly.

"It's all right, darling, I'll be fine." Clarisse said, and only Joseph could see through her calm exterior to the fear beneath the surface. He stuck his head outside the door, and called Olivia in. Quickly explaining the situation, he asked her to help Clarisse and Mia get ready to leave. He then left to organize the car that would take them away from the palace.

"Grandma, do you know where he's taking us?" Mia asked.

"I have no idea, Mia. But trust Joseph, he'll keep us safe." Clarisse replied.

"I really don't know what we need. We're only going to be there until…until the bomb goes off." Mia said, turning in a circle.

"Your Majesty," Olivia spoke up, "May I come with you, wherever you're going?"

"Well, I don't mind, but we'll have to ask Joseph when he returns. Five minutes later, Joseph entered the room.

"Are you ready? We must leave now." He said, taking Clarisse's arm and guiding her towards the door.

"Joseph, Olivia would like to come with us. Does that complicate things too much?" Clarisse said.

"No, that's fine. Come along Olivia, Mia." Joe replied.

Downstairs, Clarisse, Mia, and Olivia got into the limousine where Charlotte and Nicholas were waiting. Joseph excused the driver, and took the wheel himself. They left the palace grounds behind and drove through town, past fields and finally entered a forest. The people in the back became thoroughly lost as Joseph drove deeper in, taking twisting trails that barely even resembled roads. At last, after a long and bumpy ride, the limo came to a stop in front of a small cottage. Getting out, Mia asked, "Joe, what is this place?"

"It was Rupert's hideout. Only he and I knew about it. It was his place to go when he just wanted to escape everything for awhile." Joseph replied, helping Clarisse out of the car, and keeping a firm grip on her hand.

He led them inside and gave Charlotte a walkie-talkie so that she could communicate if her headset was out of range.

"Joseph, you're not going to leave us, are you?" Clarisse asked.

_A/N: Please don't hate me because it's so short. It was another hour mostly spent driving, AND I'm an idiot. Somehow, I screwed up and now I have to re-plan out the rest of the story. Please review, even if it is to tell me you'll never speak to me again. Lizz_


	6. Hour Six

Hour Six

The palace was in an uproar as Shades tried to organize all the people that were coming and going. The security men were returning from the search for the Viscount at the same time the rest of the staff were trying to evacuate. Shades stood at the center of the chaos, looking calm, but in reality frantically wondering where Joe was.

"Joseph, you're not leaving, are you?" Clarisse repeated.

He held out a hand to her. "Come with me." He said simply. Clarisse was confused but took his hand and allowed him to lead her out the back door. Behind the cottage was a large pond with ducks swimming in it, and a path that went all the way around. Lacing her fingers through his Clarisse walked along the path in silence for awhile. She knew he would speak when he was ready. She had decided a long time ago that Joseph would make a marvelous politician. He always planned out everything before he spoke. At last, he answered her.

"I have to return to help Shades." He said. Anticipating what she would say next he continued, "His first crash course in being the Head of Security should not come at the time of a bomb threat."

"Shouldn't we have a guard, though? You're leaving us unprotected?"

"Believe me, the last thing that I want to be accused of is not doing my job. But you are perfectly safe here. No one even knows this place exists. And I need every man I have searching for that bomb." He told her.

"Charlotte has the radio-thing you gave her. Can't you communicate with Shades like that? Just, direct him from here?" Clarisse asked, gripping his fingers tighter, racking her brain for some way to convince him to stay.

"No. There are some things at the palace that only I have access to. They might prove to be useful."

"Like what?" she wondered aloud, looking up at him.

"Like files, and some high-tech weapons that we may need."

"Weapons? What makes you think you'll need weapons?" Clarisse said worriedly.

"I don't." he dropped her hand and wrapped his arm around her shoulder soothingly. "However, there is always a possibility."

Clarisse finally snapped. She pulled away from him and yelled, "Do you have to have an answer for everything? Why can't you just say 'Darling, I'm sorry, of course I won't leave you here alone?'"

"It's my job to have an answer for everything! And that's all I'm trying to do! My job!" he fired back, slightly surprised at the back of his mind. Clarisse never yelled.

"Correct me if I'm wrong Sir, but your JOB is to protect the queen! And now you are leaving not just me, but my granddaughter, your future queen, here ALONE!" Clarisse continued.

"You're not alone! You have each other!" Joseph argued, too exhausted to try to explain. It was easier just to yell at her.

Charlotte, Mia and Nicholas watched the argument from the window. They couldn't hear the words, but from their motions and expressions the three inside could tell that Clarisse and Joe were furious.

"When this is over, Charlotte, we're sending them on a long vacation." Mia said. Charlotte and Nicholas nodded in agreement.

"To where?" Nicholas asked.

Much to their surprise and amusement, Charlotte replied, "Vegas. Maybe they'll elope."

"Joseph, I'm frightened!" Clarisse's anger subsided, tears taking it's place. "I don't want Mia or Charlotte at a time like this, I want you!"

"Oh, my darling…" Joseph gathered her in his arms, and held her tight against him. Clinging to him, she sobbed on his shoulder. Joseph stroked her hair, murmuring soothing words to her.

"Argument over," Mia said as the three turned from the window, giving the couple privacy now that they were sure they wouldn't need to referee.

After holding each other in relative silence for a few minutes, Clarisse tilted her head up slightly and said, "I'm sorry I shouted, Darling."

"No, Clarisse, I'm the one who should be sorry. I wasn't being considerate of your feelings. I should have understood where you were coming from. I want only to keep you safe, my love, at all costs."

"Oh, Joseph." She said softly, snuggling deeper into his arms. He held her close for another few moments, then began drawing her back towards the house.

When they entered, Mia met them at the door. "Better now?" she asked.

"Yes, dear." Clarisse replied.

"Charlotte?" Joe said, "Have you tested the radio to make sure it works?"

"Yes, sir. Shades was going crazy wondering where you were." She replied.

"Tell him I'm on my way."

"You, what?" Clarisse pivoted, her blue eyes flashing. "You said…"

"No, darling. I never said I was staying."

"You tricked me." Her voice was barely above a whisper, but there was no mistaking the anger it contained.

"Please try to understand where I'm coming from now." He said, meeting her angry glare head on. She looked away first.

Everyone went outside to see him off. Mia stood near Clarisse to offer support if she needed it, but Clarisse just stared at the ground, too mad to even say goodbye. Joseph came to stand in front of her, and took her hand, both to comfort her, and so she couldn't run away. Still she refused to look at him, so he tilted her chin up until she had to meet his eyes.

"Clarisse…I…" he stopped, unsure what to say next. Instead, he leaned in to kiss her, but she turned her head so it landed on her cheek. Joseph sighed. "I love you, you know." With that, he got in the car and pulled away.

_A/N: Sorry for the wait. And yes, I do know that Joe would never in a million years leave them there alone, but for our intents and purposes he HAD to. Also, I apologize for any typos that are in here, I'm sure there are at least a few. I'm so tired, I could barely type this, but I did promise you darling people an update. Now, I shall sleep. Good night. Lizz_


	7. Hour Seven

Hour Seven

Joseph drove away from the cottage in the woods, heartbroken. He had hated doing that to Clarisse, but he had to. Exiting the woods, he pulled onto the main road and headed in the direction of the palace. He had gone maybe two miles when he saw another car approaching in the rear-view mirror. The dark sedan was rapidly gaining on him, even though Joseph was pushing the car as fast as he dared. He looked worriedly in the mirror as the car crept closer and closer, then, on a straightaway, swerved and pulled up along side of him. Joseph tried to hit the brakes, but it was too late. The car, whose driver he could not see, had sideswiped him and pushed him off the road and over the bank.

Clarisse looked terrible. Between the three of them, Mia, Charlotte and Olivia, they had convinced her to come inside and sit down. Joseph had thought of everything, so Olivia prepared the tea and sandwiches he had packed. Clarisse barely picked at the food, not acknowledging anyone's presence, oblivious to everything except the pain she felt inside.

They were down to less than three hours, and Shades was near breaking point. How could Joe just disappear like this? Charlotte said he was on his way, but how long would it be until he actually showed up and resumed his duties as the Head of Security. Shades prayed to the Gods of something, anything, that he wouldn't have to do something like this again before he retired. This was a whole lot different then strategically placing men around a crowded ballroom.

Joseph climbed out of the car and looked up at the slope he just come careening down. It had seemed considerably steeper when he was doing seventy miles and hour down it. Thank God it hadn't rolled, was all he could think as he stepped away from the wrecked car, and up the bank in the direction of a farmhouse he'd seen about a half a mile back. The blood dripping from the wound on his forehead from where he'd hit the steering wheel was not his primary concern. Getting back to Clarisse was.

Covering the half a mile in record time, he stepped onto the porch and knocked loudly on the door of the old house. A man in overalls and a straw hat opened the door. Joseph flashed his ID and asked the use the phone. The man quickly let him in and showed him the phone. He placed a call to the palace.

"Shades, I've been ambushed. Driven off the road." He gave the location, and told him to send a car out to the cottage. After giving more directions, he hung up. "Do you have a car I could borrow? It's an emergency." He said to the man who had hovered near the doorway in case he was needed again.

"Of course, Sir. Right this way." He replied, and led Joe out to the garage.

Thanking the man for his kindness, and telling him he would be well rewarded, Joseph threw the car into gear and sped off, back to Clarisse.

Nicholas was the first to hear the car coming. He and Mia stood at the front window until they could see it.

"I thought Joe said no one knew about this place." Mia said, her voice reflecting the fear she felt.

"It'll be all right. Whoever it is, they'll have to go through me first." He said, unconsciously putting his arm around her.

"How brave of you." She said, gently teasing, as the car pulled to a stop, and Joseph jumped out.

"Joe!" Mia and Nicholas cried at the same time. Clarisse whirled around as Mia opened the door for him.

"Joe, what happened?" Charlotte asked. But he ignored her and went straight to Clarisse, sinking to his knees on the floor in front of her.

"I am so sorry, my darling. I never should have left you here, that was stupid of me. Someone pushed me off the road, and in the time it took to get here…I thought I was going to lose you." He managed to choke out. Clarisse pulled him close to her, cradling him against her chest, trying to calm him so they could get a proper explanation out of him.

"It's all right, love. We're all here, safe and sound. You did what you thought was best, I understand now. You can't control everything, darling, much as I know you wish you could." She said, soothingly. Looking down, she noticed the blood on his forehead. "Joseph, you're hurt!" she cried, pushing him back to look at the cut.

"It's nothing." He said, as Charlotte came back in with some peroxide and tissues she'd found in the bathroom.

"We'll see," she said, as Clarisse helped her to clean the cut.

"Joe, what happened?" Mia asked, about to burst.

"I was on my way back to the palace, when a car came from behind and pushed me off the road. I went over the bank, and when the car stopped, I got out…ouch, that hurt! And I went back to a house I'd seen. Shades and some men are on they're way here, and I borrowed that man's car to get back as fast as I could." Joseph explained.

"Joseph, you could have been killed!" Clarisse's face was pale. Joseph moved off the floor to sit beside her, wrapping his arms around her.

"It's all right."

"No, it's not all right! You could have been killed!" she interrupted.

"Could I please finish a complete thought without you cutting me off?"

"Speak." She said shortly, making Mia laugh. She sounded just like Joseph.

"It's all right, I'm here. And I promise you, I'm going to be here for a long time." He told her.

"You'd better be." She replied moving impossible closer.

"What happens next, Joe?" Nicholas asked, from his perch on the arm of Mia's chair.

"Now, we wait for Shades." He said. "I'm going to leave him and another man here with you, and return to the palace. I'm sorry…"

"No." Clarisse interrupted him yet again.

"No?"

"No. Don't be sorry. Don't ever be sorry for doing your job. I understand. But you did promise to be around for a long time." She said, smiling slightly for the first time all day.

"And I intend to keep that promise," he kissed her softly.

Shades arrived a few minutes later. He stayed behind with another man, while Joseph went back to palace. They would return the farmer's car when this was all over. For the first time that day, Clarisse was not in tears when he left. She knew he would always come home to her.

_A/N: WOO! I wrote a whole chapter in one day. I feel accomplished now. And I thought my bloody education would get in the way of important stuff. Well, it probably will once we start really getting into stuff. Oh well, I'll do what I can. Lizz_


	8. Hour Eight

Hour Eight

Joseph arrived back at the palace fifteen minutes into the eighth hour. He was exhausted, having been awake for nearly twenty four hours straight. He was impressed with the way Shades had handled things while he was gone. The men were turning the palace inside out looking for a bomb but they could find nothing. Some were beginning to think that it was all a hoax, but Joseph had seen the bomber's workshop. They were dealing with a well-trained and deadly assassin.

Miles away in the cottage, they were feeling restless.

"Twenty questions, again?" Mia asked.

"Anyone have a deck of cards?" Nicholas spoke at nearly the same time.

"Grandma?" Mia said suddenly, "Where did Joe take everyone else?"

"The staff will go home, and Andrew and his family are probably at Prime Minister Motaz's house." Clarisse replied.

Nicholas, who had been rummaging around, triumphantly returned with a deck of cards. "Anyone for a game of cards?" he said.

"Anything so I don't have to think about worrying." Mia replied, and Charlotte agreed.

"What should we play?"

"Sir!" Lionel came running up to Joe.

"What is it?" he said, turning to face him.

'The police just called! They've turned up the Viscount!"

"The Viscount! Where?" Joe demanded.

"Some old farmhouse, he was hiding out there. The police are bringing him over right away." Lionel said.

"Good. Inform me immediately when he arrives." Joseph ordered then turned away, reaching for his radio.

"Shades? Can you hear me?" the radio crackled to life beside Charlotte, startling her much that she dropped her cards.

"We're here Joe." She said picking it up.

"The Viscount has been located! The police are bringing him here now."

"Where was he?" Mia asked, taking the radio from Charlotte.

"Lionel said an old farmhouse in the country."

"That's probably his childhood home." Nicholas said leaning over Mia's shoulder to talk to Joe. "His parents left it too him, but he never goes there, doesn't take care of it."

"Thanks for the information. This could all be over soon if I can get him to cooperate." Joseph replied. "I've just seen the police car. I have to go now."

Joseph descended to the interrogation room. Arthur Mabrey, flanked by two police officers sat waiting for him.

"If you'll excuse us, gentlemen?" Joe asked politely, and the policemen did as he wished. As the door shut behind them, Joseph turned to face the Viscount, his eyes dark and threatening. "I distinctly remember telling you not to hurt my girl."

"I have done nothing to "your girl" the man said the last two words with disdain. "And I resent being held here. I demand you release me at once!"

"That wouldn't be fear rearing it's head, would it Viscount?" Joe asked calmly.

"Of course not!" he snapped, too quickly. "I have nothing to fear, least of all from a commoner."

Joseph chose to ignore the comment. He was proud of his heritage and the opinion of some twit of a politician meant little to him. "Tell me where it is." He said simply.

"I don't have the slightest idea what you are talking about! I suggest that you get your facts straight before disrupting the lives of innocent people!" the rather large man shifted uncomfortable in his chair.

"Innocent my…" Joseph trailed off, mumbling something incoherent to himself. Then he turned fiercely on the man. "The bomb, you fool! The bomb!"

"I know nothing…"

"And I know you're lying. If you tell me where it is now, your sentence will be less. You will pay for this, you know. You can't possibly expect to worm your way out of this now." Joseph continued.

"I have friends in high places." The Viscount stated arrogantly.

"So you admit your guilt! And your friends can do nothing to save you now. I too, have friends Viscount. Deadly friends. Now tell me where it is."

"Nick, do you have any threes?" Mia asked.

"Go fish."

"Grandma, are you sure you don't want to play?" Mia asked as she drew a card. Clarisse was pacing back and forth.

"I'm sure darling. I'm all right, really. Just a little tired." Clarisse replied.

"We're all exhausted. You should try to sleep, Grandma." Mia said, "We're safe now.

"I can't. Not until Joseph is safely beside me again." She resumed her pacing.

"Then please come play with us. We'll do teams or something. I'll teach you." Mia persisted.

"All right." Clarisse relented, and joined them around the coffee table.

The Viscount had been silent for nearly five minutes. Joseph circled him, waiting for an answer. The man's silence made him uneasy. Logically, he knew that Clarisse was safe, but something he couldn't place was nagging him, forming an unexplained ball of nervous tension in his stomach. Finally, Joe snapped.

"Tell me!" he roared, shaking him from behind.

"I don't think so. I'd rather watch the remaining two hours. We'll see how good you really are, Mr. Security." The Viscount spat at him.

"With an amazing amount of self-control, Joe turned and left the room. Lionel met him outside.

"What should we do with him, Sir?" Lionel asked timidly, sensing Joseph's anger and not wanting to make it worse. Joseph roughly replied,

"Hang him by his toes."

_A/N: Two hours and counting! Anyone guessed it yet? This chapter and the next I think will be the hardest to write. Please review if you've the time! 3, Lizz_


	9. Hour Nine

Hour Nine

Joseph left the interrogation room furious with the Viscount, and furious with himself to losing his temper. After brushing off Lionel he checked in to see how the search was progressing. Still, they had found nothing.

Joseph began to wander around aimlessly, trying to make sense of something. Everything was beginning to blur together in his mind. A few minutes later, he found himself standing outside Clarisse's suite. Letting himself in, he went through to the bedroom. Her suite had only been searched once, and by Lionel. Joseph sat on the bed for a moment, pushing down on the wave of fear that swept through him. He decided that since he was doing little else he would go through it again himself. Glancing down at Clarisse's pillow, he wondered what she was doing at that moment.

Clarisse slapped the table and cried, "I've won haven't I!"

Mia laughed. "Yeah, you have, Grandma. Beginner's luck, that's all." She said. Clarisse had very quickly picked up the game of Spit and had just beaten Mia, the reigning champion.

"I'm tired." Nicholas said, his laugh becoming a yawn.

"Me too." Mia said settling back on the couch next to him.

"Why don't you rest for awhile?" Clarisse suggested.

"Well, all right." Mia conceded.

"Wake us, before dawn please?" Nicholas asked, shifting to get comfortable.

"Of course. Charlotte," she said to her aide and friend, "Why don't you take a nap, too?"

"But…"

"I'll be all right. Really." Clarisse reassured her, crossing the room to stand by the window again. She wondered what Joseph was doing now. After staring out the window, and thinking how pretty the woods would be in the fall, Clarisse turned to the rest of the room. Olivia could be heard moving around in the kitchen, Charlotte was asleep in her chair, and Shades had just left to take a walk outside. Glancing over at the couch she saw Mia and Nicholas snuggled up together, fast asleep. Looking more closely, she could see how close they had grown in the past few hours, they really cared about each other now. They made a striking couple, it really was a pity that Mia had to marry Andrew. Clarisse sighed. So many sacrifices had been made for the good of this country.

Joseph awoke with a start. It took only a moment to realize that he had fallen asleep on Clarisse's bed. Panicking, he was relieved to find that he'd only been asleep for about twenty minutes. Forgetting that he was going to search the suite again, he got up to go downstairs. One hour and ten minutes remaining.

Entering the security room, he found Lionel rifling through some papers.

"Find anything useful?" Joseph asked.

"No, sorry. This is just some old background checks I did when I first got here. You know, like this one, on Olivia." Lionel replied. He had matured this evening as well.

"Any news?" Joe asked him.

"Nothing. I've been watching these monitors for hours, Joe. Can't I go help the men?"

"Just a bit longer," Joe said.

"Okay," Lionel replied, reading the rest of Olivia's background check. "Hey, this is interesting. Did you know Olivia went to a military school, before she got the job here?"

"Yes, I think I did. I believe this was just supposed to be a temporary position, but she liked it, so she stayed."

"Yeah, with a concentration in explosives. She's a pretty smart girl." Lionel mused.

Joseph spun around. "What did you say?"

"She's a smart girl. I meant it too, I wasn't being…"

"No! Before that!"

"A concentration in…oh my god! Explosives! How stupid can I be!" Lionel cried.

"Olivia made the bomb." Joseph said, his voice mirroring the panic he felt.

"But she didn't bring anything with her to the cottage." Lionel said, confused. He was even more confused when Joseph paled and seemed to age ten years in ten seconds.

"Lionel, Olivia IS the bomb!"

_A/N: Short? Yes, I'm sorry. I thought I had more. Pivotal? Very. Oooh I'm excited! One more hour to go! Please review! Lizz_


	10. Hour Ten

Hour Ten

Joseph pulled out his radio and cried, "Shades! Shades! Can you hear me? Answer me!" He waited a moment, but got no answer. "Shades! Charlotte! Somebody, can you hear me?" Still nothing.

"What about the earpiece?" Lionel suggested. Joseph tried his headset, but it was out of range.

"Shades!" he yelled again into the radio.

"I would say either he's turned it off, or the battery is dead." Lionel put in.

"What are you doing standing around! Assemble the men, and prepare to follow me to the cottage! MOVE!" he roared. Lionel quickly scurried away to do as he was ordered.

The men were assembled in the main hallway, but they weren't fast enough. Joseph had left rough directions with one of the men, and had jumped in a car and taken off. He had caught his watch in the glow of the lights.

_Forty-five minutes_.

As he pulled out of the palace gates, he noticed the clock on the dashboard. It read ten minutes faster than his watch. He spoke into his headset,

"Somebody tell me what time it is." He demanded. Three different people responded. The car was right.

_Thirty-five minutes._

Joseph jumped on the gas pedal. He had to make it in time. As the countryside flew by outside the window, Joseph drove mechanically as a wave of memories and thoughts assaulted him. He had asked her to marry him a few days ago. She hadn't answered him yet, asking that he let her sort things out with Mia first. As always, everything else took a backseat to Genovia. Each day that went by with no response, and no discussion about the issue, made him more anxious as to what her answer might be. He had a more important reason to be anxious now.

_Twenty minutes._

And he was not quite to the halfway point of his journey yet. More memories came flooding back to him now. Memories of a Christmas morning spent in her suite laughing and talking like old friends over hot chocolate complete with candy canes. Rupert's funeral, and then Phillipe's. The two weeks he had gone with little to no sleep every night, just to make sure that he was near her.

_Fifteen minutes._

Five more to the woods, then eight or nine to the cottage; oh God, what if he didn't make it? He thought of happier things, or tried to. San Francisco, and Mia's coronation as princess, how happy she had been that night. Truly happy, for the first time in months. There was hope again. Joseph urged the car faster, thankful that the roads were dry, and that no one else was out and about this early in the morning.

_Ten minutes._

His mind stumbled over memories from earlier that night. How many times had she begged him not to leave? But he hadn't listened to her. And now…well, best keep driving and not think of that. Slowing only slightly as he entered the woods, he expertly maneuvered the car around the twists and bends in the room.

_Five minutes._

By his estimation he was still a mile from the cottage. He sped up, skidding around corners but managing to keep the car under control. One slip and it would all be over.

_Four minutes._

He turned the last corner and the cottage came into few in the distance. It was on the other side of the large fields that Rupert had hunted deer in, when he had come here to get away.

_Three minutes._

He could see lights on inside the small structure. The sky was a pale blue color now, a small bit of pink appearing if one looked hard enough at the eastern horizon.

_Two minutes._

Slamming the brakes on, Joe stopped in front of the house. He jumped out of the car and ran for the door. Shades had seen him pull up and opened the door.

"What's going on?" he asked, bewildered?

"Where's Clarisse?" Joe cried.

"In the garden, with Olivia." Shades replied, the panic in Joe's voice frightening him.

_One minute._

"Joe?" Mia asked, but he was already running through the house.

"Stay back!" he ordered, hearing their movements behind him.

They did, but not very far.

Bursting out the back door and into the garden, he immediately spotted Clarisse pulling dead branches off of a row of hedges. Olivia glanced at the sky and moved toward her.

_Dawn._

Joe sprang forward, shouting "No!" as he lunged for Clarisse, knocking them both to the ground behind the hedges and covering her with his own body, and not a second too soon. In the doorway, Mia screamed as Olivia exploded with the morning sun.


	11. Epilogue The Eleventh Hour

Epilogue- The Eleventh Hour

Six people were packed into a limo. Shades drove towards the palace with Charlotte in shock in the front seat beside him. Mia and Nicholas sat with their backs to the front window, holding hands and still shaking from what they had witnessed. Clarisse and Joseph sat opposite them, holding on to each other for dear life.

"Grandma, are you sure you're not hurt? I can't believe…Olivia…" Mia trailed off, shivering.

"I can't believe my uncle could do such a thing!" Nicholas' voice was filled with anger.

"I'll be all right, really." Clarisse replied, her voice coming out stronger than she felt. She looked up at Joseph, his eyes were closed. "Joseph?" she asked, softly.

"Hmmm?" he asked without opening his eyes.

"Darling are you all right?" she asked worriedly.

His arms tightened around her. "As long as you are."

"Thank you, Joseph. For always being there. I don't know what I'd do without you…no. I wouldn't even be here without you. And for that, I can never thank you enough." She concluded in a whisper.

Joseph pressed a kiss to the top of her head and the car was silent for a few long minutes. Suddenly, Joseph looked down at Clarisse who was falling to sleep in his arms.

"Clarisse?"

"Yes, darling?" she muttered, sleepily.

"Marry me?"

Mia and Nicholas gasped in unison, Charlotte seemed to come out of her trance, and even Shades took his eyes off the road for a moment to look in the rear-view mirror. Clarisse's eyes remained shut.

"Yes."

"Really?" the word came from three different people; Charlotte, Mia, and Joseph.

Opening her eyes, and sitting up, Clarisse smiled at the excited faces in the car with her.

"Yes, really." She laughed.

Joseph swept her back into his arms and kissed her. "I love you, Clarisse."

"I love you too. More than you'll ever know."

_A/N: screams and jumps around! Are you as excited as I am? I want to say a HUGE thank you to allll my lovely readers, (although I'm sorry I can't remember all your names) Laura, Sue, aserene, hollywoodgal, Gracie's Mom, ClarisseandJoe, and of course anyone else I forgot. Don't take it personally please, I forget my own name on a regular basis. I'm going to go be excited some more! 3, Lizz_


End file.
